ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the relation of learning and memory with the expression of postsynaptic density 95 (PSD-95) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) rats in Morris water maze.Methods Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the TBI group and control group.The TBI group was produced using the impact acceleration injury model.Morris water maze memory paradigm was used to assess the learning and memory function in both groups one week after injury.Protein electro-phoresis was used to observe the expression of PSD-95 1,3,7 d after TBI.ResultsCompared with the control group,the TBI group showed a longer latency in the Morris water maze after one week,significantly longer than the latency in the first three days after TBI.The quantification of PSD-95 in the hippocampus was gradually reduced at one week after TBI ( P ＜ 0.01 ).ConclusionTBI may decrease expression of PSD-95 in the hippocampus of the rats,as may be one of the mechanisms for impairments of learning and memory of rats.